1. أَقبَرُ ذا أم جِنانٌ قَد سَما شَرَفُه

    وَمُلحَدٌ أَم مَقامٌ زُيِّنَت غُرَفُه

    Is this a grave, or gardens whose honor has risen high?

    And a burial niche, or an abode whose chambers have been adorned?

  2. وَذا مَحَلّ الثَوى أَم ذا الطَريقُ إِلى

    جَنّاتِ عَدنٍ وَهَذا الدر بَل صَدَفُهُ

    And is this a resting place, or is this the road to

    the gardens of Eden? And this is the pearl—rather, its shell.

  3. لِم لا وَقَد حَلَّهُ مِن نَسلِ فاطمَةٍ

    فَرعٌ كَريمٌ وَزَهرٌ جَلَّ مُقتَطَفُه

    Why not, when there has dwelt within it, of Fatimah’s offspring,

    a noble branch, a blossom whose harvest is glorious:

  4. مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَليّ بنِ الشَريفِ إِلى

    خَيرِ الوَرى حَيثُ يَدري الفَضلَ مُغتَرفه

    Muhammad, son of Ali, son of al-Sharif, tracing his lineage to

    the best of humankind, where excellence is known to whoever draws from it.

  5. مِن مَعشَرٍ حُبّهُم دينٌ وَبُغضُهُمُ

    كُفرٌ فَطوبى لِمَن كانَت بِهِم زُلَفَه

    Of a people, love for whom is faith, and hatred for whom

    is unbelief; so blessed is he whose nearness comes through them.

  6. وَجاوَرَ الحاري تِلميذَ ابن عيسى وَذا

    بَخّ لِبَخّ وَفَضلٌ بانَ مُرتَدَفُه

    And he lies beside al-Hari, the pupil of Ibn Isa—and this

    is acclaim upon acclaim, and merit whose accompaniment is clear.

  7. فَزادَهُ اللَهُ نُعمى لا زَوالَ لَها

    مُخَلَّداً في جِنانٍ قَد دَنَت قُطفُه

    May God grant him still more bliss that shall never fade,

    abiding forever in gardens, with his fruit clusters close at hand.

  8. بُشراهُ بِالفَوزِ إِذ لاحَت بَشائِرُهُ

    وَحَسبُهُ أَن أَتى تاريخُهُ شَرَفُه

    His is the glad news of triumph, since its heralds have appeared;

    and enough for him that his chronogram reads “his honor.”